Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

A darkened mountainous scene with dark clouds overhead. A lone man is standing to the left of the scene. Above the scene in golden capital letters is the title of the show.

Opening sequence logo
Genre
Created by Christian Williams
Starring
Theme music composer Joseph LoDuca
Composer(s) Joseph LoDuca
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 6
No. of episodes

(list of episodes)

Production
Producer(s)
Running time 41–44 minutes
Production company(s) Renaissance Pictures
Distributor NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network Syndication
Audio format Dolby Surround
Original release January 16, 1995 (1995-01-16) – November 22, 1999 (1999-11-22)
Chronology
Related shows

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an American television series filmed in New Zealand. It was produced from January 16, 1995 to November 22, 1999, and was based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). It ran for six seasons, producing action figures and other memorabilia as it became one of the highest rated syndicated television shows in the world at that time.[1]

It was preceded by several TV movies with the same major characters in 1994 as part of Universal Television's Action Pack in order of appearance: Hercules and the Amazon Women, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, Hercules and the Circle of Fire, Hercules in the Underworld, and Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur, the last of which served mostly as a "clip show" of the previous movies as a lead up to the series. The show was cancelled midway through filming of the sixth season, and only a total of eight episodes were produced after Kevin Sorbo initially declined to renew a three-year extension contract to continue his role as Hercules.[2]

Description

Two men, the one on the left has long brown hair and is taller than the one on the right. The man on the right has long blond hair and is wearing a tunic top and leather trousers and a gauntlet on his right arm. The man on the right is wearing a waistcoat, leather trousers and a medallion around his neck.
Kevin Sorbo as Hercules (left) and Michael Hurst as Iolaus (right)

The series is set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece not precisely located in historical time. Although set in ancient Greece, the show also has a mixture of Oriental, Egyptian and Medieval elements in various episodes. The show stars Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and regularly features Michael Hurst as his sidekick Iolaus. Rotating as Hercules' other regular companion, particularly in earlier seasons, is Salmoneus (Robert Trebor), a wheeler-dealer ever looking to make a quick dinar.

Typical plot lines involve Hercules and Iolaus saving rustic villagers from monsters, evil warlords, or the often selfish whims of the gods. There was also comedy and episodes often had "in-jokes" about modern themes.

In the earlier episodes as mentioned in the show's opening title, Hercules' main nemesis is his evil stepmother Hera, the powerful queen of the gods who seeks to destroy Hercules using various monsters and helping her various followers because he is a reminder of her husband Zeus' infidelity. As the series progressed, a wider range of enemies was used; notably Hercules' half-brother, the malicious god of war Ares replaced Hera as the show's primary antagonist. Towards the end of the series, Ares is himself replaced by the evil god Dahak who is the main villain in the show's fifth season and sets off a story arc that has Hercules traveling to Sumeria, Norseland and Éire. Although Zeus, Hercules' father, is frequently cited by Hercules as a neglectful father, Zeus' love for Hercules is well documented in the show. Indeed, Hercules is often referred to as "the favorite son of Zeus". Zeus makes several appearances on the show, even saving his son's life and restoring his superhuman strength on one occasion when he needs it the most. Hercules, for his own part, is always there for Zeus when his father needs him, and in the end, Hercules reconciles with his father and buries whatever issues he has with the father he has come to understand and love.

Legacy

The show had two spin-offs, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules, with which it shared recurring characters such as Ares (Kevin Smith), Autolycus (Bruce Campbell), Salmoneus (Robert Trebor), Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings), Deimos/Strife (Joel Tobeck) and Callisto (Hudson Leick). Both shows, although produced in New Zealand using mostly local actors who put on American accents, were syndicated worldwide.

The success of the show also saw a number of similar ancient-set series being commissioned, such as The Adventures of Sinbad, Conan the Adventurer, The New Adventures of Robin Hood, BeastMaster, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, and Jack of All Trades. A sci-fi series, Cleopatra 2525, was also produced as a result of the series' influence. Thirteen years later, Legend of the Seeker was produced by the same team.

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired DVD release date
Season premiere Season finale
1 13 January 16, 1995 (1995-01-16) May 8, 1995 (1995-05-08) June 24, 2003 (2003-06-24)[3]
2 24 September 4, 1995 (1995-09-04) June 24, 1996 (1996-06-24) October 21, 2003 (2003-10-21)[4]
3 22 September 30, 1996 (1996-09-30) May 12, 1997 (1997-05-12) March 23, 2004 (2004-03-23)[5]
4 22 September 29, 1997 (1997-09-29) May 11, 1998 (1998-05-11) July 13, 2004 (2004-07-13)[6]
5 22 September 28, 1998 (1998-09-28) May 17, 1999 (1999-05-17) January 11, 2005 (2005-01-11)[7]
6 8 September 27, 1999 (1999-09-27) November 22, 1999 (1999-11-22) July 12, 2005 (2005-07-12)[8]

Characters and cast

Main

Recurring

International broadcast history

Region Network(s)
 Argentina El Trece
 Australia Network Ten, 7mate
 Bangladesh Bangladesh Television
 Belgium 2BE
 Brazil SBT, Rede Record
 Bulgaria BNT
 Canada Global
 Perú ATV
 Croatia Nova
 Czech Republic TV Nova
 Denmark Kanal 5
 Dominican Republic Telesistema 11
 Ecuador RedTeleSistema
 Egypt Egyptian TV Channel 2
 Estonia TV3
 France TF1
 Germany RTL
 Greece Star Channel
 Hungary TV2
 Indonesia RCTI
 Israel Channel 1 and AXN
 Italy Italia 1 and AXN
 Lithuania TV3
 Malaysia NTV7
 Macedonia Sitel
 Netherlands Yorin and Veronica
 New Zealand TV 3
 Norway TV3
 Philippines ABC
 Poland Polsat, TVP2
 Portugal Sci Fi Channel (Portugal), Disney Channel (Portugal)
 Romania Pro TV
 Russia NTV, Disney Channel (Russia)
 Singapore MediaCorp TV Channel 5
 Slovakia Markíza
 Slovenia POP TV
 South Africa SABC 3
 Spain TVE
 Sweden TV3,
 Sri Lanka Sirasa TV,
 Thailand Channel 3,
 Turkey Kanal D,
 Ukraine 1+1(Ukraine),
 United Kingdom Sky1, Channel 5, Horror Channel
 Venezuela Televen
 Vietnam Vietnam Television

DVD releases

Anchor Bay Entertainment released all 6 Seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on DVD in Region 1 for the first time between 2003-2005. As of 2010, these releases have now been discontinued and are out of print.

On January 12, 2010, Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced that they plan on re-releasing Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on DVD. They have subsequently re-released the first five seasons. Season 5 was re-released on July 22, 2014.[9]

In Region 4, Madman Entertainment has released all 6 seasons on DVD in Australia.

Season Ep # Release Dates
Region 1 Region 4
Season 1 13 June 24, 2003
April 20, 2010 (re-release) 		September 9, 2009[10]
Season 2 24 October 21, 2003
March 29, 2011 (re-release) 		February 17, 2010[11]
Season 3 22 March 23, 2004
March 13, 2012 (re-release) 		June 2, 2010[12]
Season 4 22 July 13, 2004
March 12, 2013 (re-release) 		November 3, 2010[13]
Season 5 22 January 11, 2005
July 22, 2014 (re-release) 		N/A
Season 6 8 July 12, 2005 N/A
Seasons 5 & 6 30 N/A January 12, 2011[14]

Video game

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Developer(s) Player 1
Publisher(s) Titus Software
Producer(s) Sam Raimi
Composer(s) Joseph LoDuca
Platform(s) Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color
Release
  • NA: November 16, 2000
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single player

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an action adventure video game with beat 'em up elements that was released on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, developed by Player 1 and published by Titus Software, based on the television series.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Research Hercules: the Legendary Journeys". BookRags.com. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  2. ↑ "Kevin Sorbo interview". 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2015-02-13.
  3. ↑ "Hercules The Legendary Journeys - Season 1 (1994)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Hercules The Legendary Journeys - Season 2 (1995)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Hercules The Legendary Journeys - Season 3 (1995)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Hercules The Legendary Journeys - Season 4 (1995)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Hercules The Legendary Journeys - Season 5 (1995)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Hercules The Legendary Journeys - Season 6 (1995)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Universal Announces a General Release for 'Season 5'". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  10. ↑ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 1 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  11. ↑ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 2 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  12. ↑ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 3 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  13. ↑ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 4 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  14. ↑ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - The Final Seasons: Season 5 & 6 (10 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  15. ↑ http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/n64/data/197546.html
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